1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to methods for producing composite materials and, particularly, to a method for producing a composite material including a carbon nanotube array.
2. Description of Related Art
Since the report of their discovery in 1991 by Iijima, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been extensively studied for their structural, physical chemical, mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical properties. Many potential technological applications have been proposed including using CNTs in hydrogen storage, nanoelectronic devices, field emission displays (FED), field emission microscopy (FEM), chemical sensors, and so on. CNTs are desirable, at least in part, due to their unique electrical and mechanical properties. Currently, the study of carbon nanotube/polymer composite materials is gaining significant attention. Such nanotube-reinforced composite materials have broad applications because of their good antistatic performance, microwave absorbing capability, electromagnetic shielding ability, and so on.
CNT arrays having a plurality of aligned CNTs have excellent mechanical strength and good heat conductivity or heat diffusivity, as such they have been used to produce heat conductive materials and reinforced composite materials. However, during the process of making the composite material having a CNT array, the structure of the CNT array is often destroyed. Thus, the composite material having a CNT array may not achieve the desired effects.
What is needed, therefore, is a method for making a composite material having a CNT array without destroying the original structure of the CNT array.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate at least one preferred embodiment of the present method, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.